LittleBigPlanet

Media Molecule (UK, est. 2006)

2006

3ds Max, Photoshop, and custom
software

Distributed by Sony, Japan

LittleBigPlanet, a game for PlayStation
systems, revolves around control
of a central character, Sackperson,
in a community-generated world.
The game features a set of prebuilt
levels, but it is remarkably customizable:
players can create and alter the world
by building new objects and levels and
sharing them with the LittleBigPlanet
community, and the variety of encounters
and tasks at each level is staggering.
Although the nominal goal is locating and
unlocking prize bubbles, the experience
of the game expands far beyond it,
and virtually no idea or task is repeated.
In one user-generated level, Sackperson
navigates through the human body,
attacking viruses and sweeping brain
cavities, and in another, solving complex
math problems unlocks prizes; other
levels are inspired by the graphics
and stories of classic video games and
movies. Collaboration with other players
is encouraged; the game switches easily
between single- and multiplayer modes,
and some sections require teams in
order to find all the prizes and earn
the maximum number of points. The
emphasis on user design extends to
the Sackperson character, which is
a blank canvas for the player to dress
and accessorize and assign a gender.
In LittleBigPlanet, levels become entire
worlds inside a seemingly endless
universe—one that essentially stretches
as far as its players’ imagination and
ingenuity.